Haniya asks West to restore aid

Israelis say contacts with Abbas may be suspended if Quartet's demands are not met.

13 Feb 2007 09:17 GMT

Saudi King Abdullah, left, was the host of the Mecca talks between Fatah and Hamas leaders [AFP]

The Quartet insists that for aid to resume, the Palestinian government must recognise Israel, renounce violence, and accept existing interim peace agreements.

Haniya, who is also a senior Hamas figure, said in a speech in Gaza city on Monday: "The American administration should reconsider its hasty position, which refuses to deal with the will of the Palestinian people.

"I say to the Quartet and to the European Union that this is the will of the Palestinian people, and they should respect it and they should work to end the status of siege."

The unity agreement that Hamas signed with Fatah, led by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, in Saudi Arabia last Thursday made no explicit commitment to recognise Israel.

A subsequent call by Abbas - in a letter to Haniya re-appointing him prime minister - urged Hamas to "abide by the interests of the Palestinian people" and "respect" past agreements and international law.

Israeli threat

Earlier on Monday, Israeli officials said that Israel was considering suspending contacts with Abbas if the unity government did not meet the Quartet's demands.

Such a step would not only increase pressure on Abbas, but also hinder US efforts to revive long-stalled peace talks, beginning with plans by Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, for a three-way summit with Abbas and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, in Jerusalem on February 19.

However, Israeli officials said that a suspension of contacts may only be temporary and that a final decision will not be made until the Palestinian unity government is in place, a process that could take a month or longer.

Israel's response also depended on whether Abbas and the new government could secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.